Leviticus 23

Yahweh’s Feasts

1Then#Or “And” Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the Israelites,#Literally “sons/children of Israel” and say to them, ‘The festivals of Yahweh that you shall proclaim are holy assemblies; these are my appointed times.

Yahweh’s Sabbath

3“ ‘For six days work is to be done, and on the seventh day shall be a Sabbath of complete rest,#Literally “a Sabbath of ‘Sabbathation.’ ” “Sabbathation” is not a real word, but it is devised as an attempt to convey the sounds of the related nouns in the Hebrew phrase a holy assembly; you shall not do any work; it shall be a Sabbath for Yahweh in all your dwellings.

The Passover

4“ ‘These are Yahweh’s appointed times, holy assemblies, which you shall proclaim at#Or “on” their appointed time. 5In the first month, on the fourteenth of the month at the evening is Yahweh’s Passover. 6And on the fifteenth day of this month is Yahweh’s Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7On the first day there shall be a holy assembly for you; you shall not do any regular work.#Literally “all work of labor” 8And you shall present an offering for Yahweh made by fire for seven days; on the seventh day there shall be a holy assembly; you shall not do any regular work.’ ”#Literally “all work of labor”

The Feast of Firstfruits

9Then#Or “And” Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 10“Speak to the Israelites,#Literally “sons/children of Israel” and say to them, ‘When you come to the land that I am about to give to you and you reap its harvest, then#Or “and” you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruit of your harvest to the priest. 11And he shall wave the sheaf before#Literally “to the faces of” Yahweh for your acceptance; the priest shall wave it on the day after#Literally “from the next day of” the Sabbath. 12And on the day of your waving the sheaf you shall offer#Or “sacrifice”; literally “do” or “make” a yearling#Literally “a son of its year” male lamb without defect as a burnt offering to Yahweh. 13And its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah#Supplied by context of finely milled flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire for Yahweh, an appeasing fragrance; and its libation shall be a fourth of a hin#Hebrew “the hin” of wine. 14And you shall not eat bread or#Or “and” roasted grain or#Or “and” ripe grain until this very same day,#Literally “the exactly of this day” until you present your God’s offering. This must be a lasting statute#Literally “a statute of eternity” or “a statute of long duration” for your generations in all your dwellings.

The Feast of Weeks

15“ ‘And you shall count for yourselves from the day after#Literally “from the next day of” the Sabbath, from the day of your bringing the wave offering’s sheaf—there shall be seven full weeks. 16Until the day after#Literally “from the next day of” the seventh Sabbath you shall count fifty days; then#Or “and” you shall present a new grain offering for Yahweh. 17You shall bring from your dwellings for a wave offering two loaves of bread made with#Literally “they shall be” two-tenths of an ephah#Supplied by context of finely milled flour; they must be baked with leaven—the firstfruits belonging to#Literally “to” Yahweh. 18And, in addition to the bread, you shall present seven yearling#Literally “a son of its year” male lambs without defects and one young bull#Literally “a bull a son of cattle” and two rams—they shall be a burnt offering for Yahweh with#Or “and” their grain offering and their libations, an offering made by fire, an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh. 19And you shall offer#Or “sacrifice”; literally “do” or “make” one he-goat as a sin offering and two yearling#Literally “a son of its year” male lambs as a sacrifice of fellowship offerings. 20And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before#Literally “to the faces of” Yahweh; in addition to the two male lambs, they shall be holy for Yahweh for the priest. 21And you shall make a proclamation#Literally “you shall proclaim” on this very same day;#Literally “the exactly of this day” it shall be a holy assembly for you; you shall not do any regular work;#Literally “all work of labor” this is a lasting statute#Literally “a statute of eternity” or “a statute of long duration” in all your dwellings throughout#Or “for” your generations. 22And when you#Plural reap the harvest of your#Plural land, you#Singular must not finish the edge of your#Singular field at your reaping, and you#Singular must not glean the remnants of your#Singular harvest—you#Singular shall leave them behind for the needy and for the alien; I am Yahweh your#Plural God.’ ”

The Feast of Trumpets

23Then#Or “And” Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 24“Speak to the Israelites,#Literally “sons/children of Israel” saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you must have#Literally “it must be for yourselves” a rest period, a remembrance of the trumpet blast, a holy assembly. 25You must not do any regular work,#Literally “all work of labor” and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh.’ ”

The Day of Atonement

26Then#Or “And” Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 27“Surely the Day of Atonement is on the tenth day of the seventh month; it shall be a holy assembly for you, and you shall deny yourselves, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 28And you must not do any regular work#Literally “all work of labor” on this very same day,#Literally “the exactly of this day” because it is the Day of Atonement to make atonement for you before#Literally “to the faces of” Yahweh your God. 29If there is any person who does not deny himself on this very same day,#Literally “the exactly of this day” then#Or “and” he shall be cut off from his people. 30As for#Or “And” any person who does any work on this very same day,#Literally “the exactly of this day” I will exterminate that person from the midst of his people. 31You must not do any work; it is a lasting statute#Literally “a statute of eternity” or “a statute of long duration” throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 32It is a Sabbath of complete rest#Literally “a Sabbath of ‘Sabbathation.’ ” “Sabbathation” is not a real word, but it is devised as an attempt to convey the sounds of the related nouns in the Hebrew phrase for you, and you shall deny yourselves on the ninth day of the month in the evening—from evening to evening you must observe your extraordinary#Supplied from the immediate context within this verse Sabbath.”

The Feast of Booths

33Then#Or “And” Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 34“Speak to the Israelites,#Literally “sons/children of Israel” saying, ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, this shall be the Feast of Booths for seven days for Yahweh. 35On the first day there shall be a holy assembly; you must not do any regular work.#Literally “work of labor” 36For seven days you must present an offering made by fire to Yahweh. On the eighth day it shall be a holy assembly for you, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh; it is a celebration; you must not do any regular work.#Literally “all work of labor”

Summary

37“ ‘These are Yahweh’s festivals, which you must proclaim, holy assemblies to present an offering made by fire to Yahweh—burnt offering and grain offering, sacrifice and libations, each on its proper day#Literally “a thing of a day on its day”— 38besides#Literally “from to alone” Yahweh’s Sabbaths and besides#Literally “from to alone” your gifts and besides#Literally “from to alone” your vows and besides#Literally “from to alone” all your freewill offerings that you give to Yahweh.

39“ ‘Surely on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, at your gathering the land’s produce, you shall hold Yahweh’s festival for seven days; on the first day there shall be a rest period and on the eighth day a rest period. 40And on the first day you shall take for yourselves the first fruit of majestic trees, branches of palm trees and branches#Collective singular of a leafy tree and of a brook’s poplar trees, and you shall rejoice before#Literally “to the faces of” Yahweh your God for seven days. 41And you must hold it as a festival for Yahweh for seven days in the year; it shall be a lasting statute#Literally “a statute of eternity” or “a statute of long duration” throughout your generations; in the seventh month you must hold it. 42You must live in the booths for seven days; all the natives in Israel must live in the booths, 43so that your generations shall know that I made the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” live in booths when I brought them from the land of Egypt; I am Yahweh your God.’ ”

44Thus#Or “And” Moses announced to the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” Yahweh’s appointed times.